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Keep Your Eye on The Prize

Chad Le Clos glances over at Michael Phelps.
Credit: Google Images

The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing. – Stephen Covey

At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, one of the most infamous races that took place was the 200-meter men’s butterfly.


Entered in the race was American Michael Phelps. During his illustrious Olympic career, he won 28 medals, 23 of them gold.

During the 200-meter race, Phelps was leading for most of the race. As they entered the final stretch of the race, Chad Le Clos was starting to close the gap on Phelps. However, in the closing moments of the race, Le Clos made a mistake that cost him the race. He turned to look at Phelps in the other lane, and when he did, Phelps surged ahead and won the race. Le Clos finished 7/10ths of a second behind and finished in fourth place.

While stories like these are what make history and Olympic lore, they serve as a reminder for us as leaders to understand the importance of keeping our focus.

What would keeping your eye on the goal look like for you as a leader? How would it improve your leadership skills? Let’s explore a few ways and things we can do to improve this leadership skill.

Stay in your lane

You can be the jack of all trades or the master of none, but one key thing that is important to you as a leader is to stay in your lane. 

What happens when we veer out of our lane? We take on roles and responsibilities that we previously delegated. We devalue team members by inserting ourselves into their work. We clog up the wheel of productivity by inserting ourselves in places where we don’t belong.

But worse, you ignore the more important thing that you should be doing – your work and taking care of your responsibilities. By staying in your lane, you and your team operate with efficiency. When you or team members get out of your respective lanes, you are presiding over chaos.

Keep your focus

In a split second, Chad Le Clos lost his chance at an Olympic medal simply because he lost his focus. And while it may seem innocent enough, that glance was his undoing.

In a research conducted by Insightful, they found:

  •  Lost Focus is a big problem: 92% of employers said lost focus is a significant problem in the workplace
  • Deep Focus Time is Elusive: 80% of employees said they can’t go an hour without being distracted at work
  • Frequent Distractions: 67% of employees report checking messages or emails more than 10 times a day, with 59% experiencing interruptions every thirty minutes or less.

As a leader, you can’t prevent everyone within your organization from being distracted, but you can make it a priority to ensure that you are not contributing to the problem. Regularly encourage and remind your team of the importance of their mission and why it matters not only to them but to everyone else as well. With this thought reinforced, it can lead to greater productivity.  

Be the exampleRegularly encourage and remind your team of the importance of their mission and why it matters not only to them but to everyone else as well. Click To Tweet

The importance of you being the example can’t be overstated. Good leaders model good behaviors in the workplace. If you expect your team to perform and function on high levels, they need to see it modeled by you.  

John Maxwell states, “Good leaders must communicate vision creatively and continually. However, the vision doesn’t come alive until the leader models it.” This is your task as a leader: to model what it means to lead your team with clarity, focus, and intentionality.

Do you have your eye on the prize?

 

©2025 Doug Dickerson

The Secret Sauce to Success is Not BS

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You can’t build a reputation on what you are going to do. – Henry Ford

A turkey was chatting with a bull. “I would love to get to the top of that tree,” the turkey sighed, “ but I haven’t got the energy.” 

“Well, why don’t you nibble on some of my droppings?” replied the bull. “They’re full of nutrients.” 

The turkey pecked at a lump of dung and found it gave him enough strength to reach the lowest branch of the tree. After eating more dung the next day, he reached the second branch.

Finally, after a fourth night, the turkey was proudly perched at the top of the tree. A farmer promptly spotted him and shot him out of the tree. 

The moral of the story: BS might get you to the top, but it won’t keep you there. 

As a leader and small business owner, I know firsthand the importance and challenges of getting ahead. And as the above story humorously illustrates, it’s not BS. 

An article in Business Dasher revealed the following:

  • About 79% of small businesses survive their first year, which means that 21% of small businesses fail in their first year
  • More than 50% of businesses fail within five years
  • 70% of businesses fail in their tenth year

With statistics like these, we know that 1) being a small business owner or entrepreneur is not for the faint of heart,  2) you can’t bluff your way to success, and 3) people in your office know BS when they see it, hear it, and smell it.

As a leader in your organization, regardless of your title or place in its organizational structure, you must prioritize knowing what sets you apart from your competitors and what gives you credibility within it. 

People in your organization don’t need another fast-talking BSer who is more concerned about making a name for themselves. Click To Tweet They need a servant-leader who puts the team’s good ahead of their own agenda.

Knowing what the secret sauce is, what it is not, and what it should be is crucial. Here are just a few of the necessary ingredients.

The secret sauce is your grit.

It’s not your fancy words or talk. It’s all about embracing your gifts and calling, and not allowing yourself to be distracted. Doing the hard and unglamorous things daily produces results compounded over time.

Leadership advice from John Maxwell:  “You’ll never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret sauce is found in your daily routine.”

The secret sauce is your attitude.

Your attitude will make you or break you. You will face adversity from within and without. Each experience will be a test of your resolve, and those who endure are those who have mastered the discipline of a good and strong attitude.

Leadership advice from Zig Ziglar: “Your attitude, not your aptitude, determines your altitude.” 

The secret sauce is your integrity.

Getting ahead is not about your ability to out-B.S. the other guy. That person will eventually be exposed for who he is. The foundation for how high and far you will go is built on your integrity. How high and how far you go is dependent upon it.

Leadership advice from W. Clement Stone: “Have the courage to say no. Have the courage to face the truth. Do the right thing because it is right. These are the magic keys to living your life with integrity.” 

The secret sauce is your passion.

When it comes to succeeding as a business leader, it all comes down to what drives and motivates you. You will never develop grit and do the hard things required for success if you have no passion for it. A passionless leader will produce passionless followers, and the business will eventually die. But a leader with passion and drive will persevere through the storms and challenges that come their way.

Craig Groeschel offers this leadership advice: “Vision and values should inspire and move you. If they don’t, they are too dull and safe.”

What is your secret sauce?

 

©2025 Doug Dickerson

The Friendship Factor

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No road is too long with good company – Turkish Proverb.

Meet Reginald and Pearl—an unlikely duo for sure. Both are certified winners in their respective height titles by Guinness World Records.

Reginald is a seven-year-old Great Dane from Idaho who stands 3 feet 3 inches tall. Pearl, a four-year-old chihuahua from Florida, stands 3.59 inches tall. 

Not long ago, Guinness arranged a play date for the two, and despite their size difference, both had a tail-wagging good time. They spent two days together on a farm in Idaho; by all accounts, they bonded and played well together. According to one of the owners, Reginald and Pearl found common ground despite their height differences. 

Finding common ground and developing friendships sounds simple enough. But is it?

A Pew Research Survey found that 61% of U.S. adults believe having close friends is essential for living a fulfilled life. Yet in another survey, 15% of men report having no close friendships, five times more than the survey results from 1990.

Leadership can be isolating and lonely. The weight of a leader’s responsibilities can be overwhelming. Rather than being vulnerable and relatable, many leaders self-isolate from those around them. Eventually, the burden of going it alone becomes overwhelming, and many a good leader burns out. Could this be you?

In my years in leadership, I’ve known what it feels like to carry that weight alone. It’s not healthy, and there is a better path to take. So what is a leader to do? Here is a bit of advice I’d like to share.

Embrace the risk of friendship.

Many leaders who self-isolate or otherwise keep people at a distance do so for fear of being too close to those around them. They fear that colleagues who befriend them will take advantage of them or that they are afraid to let their guard down—all valid concerns. 

As a leader, you must understand that people will treat you differently. And it can be just as awkward for them as it is for you. And inasmuch as you wrestle with your feelings and how to handle them, the other person is doing the same.

Leadership Tip: Take the risk. Embrace friendships. Be proactive in putting the other person at ease and let them know you genuinely care for the people you lead. Somewhere down the line, will you get burned? Maybe. But you can be a leader as well as a friend. 

Additional Resource: The Power of Your Tribe: Who Belongs in it and Why

Embrace the vulnerability of friendship.

One of the qualities of any friendship is vulnerability. Vulnerability is our way of being comfortable in our skin and embracing our shared humanity. Being vulnerable builds connections and trust as we open up with others about how we feel, think, and process what we are going through.

Many leaders struggle with vulnerability. They would rather keep a poker face and keep their cards close to their chests regarding their thoughts and feelings. As a result, having close friends is a constant struggle.

Leadership Tip: Embrace vulnerability. While you may feel you are letting your guard down too much, it will drive people away; you may just be surprised by how much this one act will endear you to those you lead. Being vulnerable doesn’t make you less of a leader; it makes you more relatable as a leader. Click To Tweet

Additional Resource: Leadership in a Word: Vulnerable

Embrace the reward of friendship. 

My leadership mentor, John Maxwell, says, “Show me your friends, and I will show you your future.” This is the payoff for having good friends.

I firmly believe that we are not meant to do life alone. While many leaders approach friendships cautiously and even at a distance, the value and importance of friendship cannot be denied. I am thankful that I walk through life with friends who’ve been there through life’s joys, sorrows, and challenges. I am grateful to have a team around me whose checks I sign, but whom I consider valued friends. 

Leadership Tip: You will never know the rewards of friendship until you embrace the risk and are willing to be vulnerable. When you do, you will soon realize that you are a better leader because of it.

Additional Resource: Ellen Was Right

©2025 Doug Dickerson

A Kangaroo Wasn’t On The Bingo Card

Photo Credit: CNN
Credit: CNN

The years have been just full of surprises for me, and a lot of fun. – Dick Van Dyke

Imagine driving along the interstate on your way to work, an important meeting, a ball game, or just trying to get home. Instead, you find yourself in a traffic jam. You are in this traffic jam, not because of a wreck, construction, or bad weather. The reason? A kangaroo! 

This was the predicament that motorists in Tuskegee, Alabama, found themselves in recently when traffic snarled on Interstate 85. The sight of the free-spirited kangaroo hopping along the side of the interstate was certainly a sight to behold. State Troopers had to stop traffic in both directions to help the owner capture the wayward animal. 

Being delayed in traffic on the interstate because of a kangaroo is not something any motorist in Alabama would have suspected they’d encounter when they got up that day. No doubt it would not have appeared on anyone’s bingo card.

In life, things will show up on your bingo card that you didn’t see coming or have any formal training on how to deal with. 

When I began my leadership journey in ministry over 40 years ago, I was wide-eyed and woefully naive. Rather quickly, “kangaroos” started showing up on my bingo card that I was not prepared for, things that I didn’t think I would see in that line of work, and I didn’t have a leadership foundation to fall back on. My heart was in the right place, and my head was full of theology. But in those early days, it simply wasn’t enough. The kangaroos were winning the day.

Chances are, you’re feeling overwhelmed, too. You are dealing with things you didn’t see coming, and you feel out of your league. What is a leader to do? Allow me to take you back to foundational principles. As you work through these, you will gain more and more confidence as a leader. These are a great starting place.

Develop your growth plan.

If you want to develop as a leader, you need a growth plan. As John Maxwell says, “Hope is not a strategy.” Additionally, he says, “You cannot change your life until you change something you do everyday.” This, my friend, is where you begin.

Without a growth plan, you are like a runner wearing ankle weights. You become your own worst enemy, making things much harder on yourself. Personal growth should revolve around daily improvement, with the expectation that you will be better tomorrow than you are today. Click To Tweet

Additional Resource: Five Signs That Your Leadership Has a Settlers Mentality

Find a mentor or coach.

No one is meant to do life alone. As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another, says the writer of Proverbs. My frustrations in those early days could have been nullified if I had had a mentor to take me under their wing and help me navigate that bingo card. 

With a mentor or coach, you have someone who is invested in your growth, who will hold you accountable, be your confidant, and your biggest cheerleader. Your mentor or coach will be a tremendous asset to you as a leader, and one day you can be the one passing along your wisdom to another.

Additional Resource: Leadership in a Word: Mentors

Humility and humor. 

In my years in leadership, there’s a straightforward thing I’ve come to learn, and it’s this – the more I learn, the more I realize how much I don’t know. That’s humbling. That is what propels me to keep learning, reading, listening to podcasts, attending conferences, and networking, because the learning never ends. 

Additionally, I’ve also come to appreciate having a good sense of humor. A sense of humor is what keeps you grounded and humble. Having the ability to laugh at yourself (might as well, others are), and realize that a perfect day can get interrupted by a kangaroo.

Additional Resource: Reclaiming Humility in Leadership

©2025 Doug Dickerson

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Who’s In Your Circle?

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A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out. – Walter Winchell 

An incredible thing happened recently at the San Diego Zoo. In case you missed it, let me bring you up to date.

On April 14, a 5.2 earthquake struck the area. Instinctively, the elephants sprang into action to protect their babies and the rest of the herd. In doing so, they formed what is known as an “alert circle”. In a circle, the older elephants scrambled to surround and shield the two 7-year-old calves.

Mindy Albright, a curator of mammals at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, said, “They sort of freeze as they gather information about where the danger is. Elephants are known for being highly intelligent and social animals; they can sense sound through their feet. When they perceive a threat, they often bunch up together in an “alert circle”, with the younger in the center and the adults facing outward to defend the group.

Once in the alert circle, the female elephant repeatedly tapped a younger male elephant on the back and face with her trunk, as if to say, “Things are okay, stay back in the circle.”

Click here to read the story. 

One of the most fascinating things about what happened when the earthquake struck was how quickly the older elephants responded and immediately moved into place to protect the others. Albright added, “It’s remarkable to see that those family bonds are so strong that they come together immediately to care for one another.”  

Now, consider your leadership style as a starting place. Is the welfare of the people you lead a matter of importance to you? In what ways do you show it, and in what ways has it become a part of your culture? How quickly can your team mobilize to protect and defend one another?

Here are a few leadership characteristics we can learn from the elephants that can help you. Applying these can be beneficial to you and your team.

Engaged in their environment

It was said that when the earthquake struck, the elephants picked up on the signals that prepared them to act.

A tip from the elephants: As a leader, you must lead with awareness. As you lead with this awareness and it becomes a basic instinct in your culture, you can be calm and know what to do. What is important to note here is that the elephants sensed the pending threat ahead of time, and each of the adult elephants knew their role in protecting the rest of the herd.

Additional Resource: Your Leadership Rewards Program

Remain calm

According to the story, the elephants were in their enclosure foraging for food when the rumblings began. What happened next is fascinating. Sensing the impending danger, they stopped what they were doing and started looking around. They gathered at the center of the enclosure and stood completely still. Albright said, “They’ve got their ears out. They’re listening. They are trying to gather as much information as they can so they can decide what our next move is.”  

A tip from the elephants: In leadership, it’s essential to remember that being calm is important. Before springing into action, it’s okay to pause and gather your facts before taking action. When critical decisions are being made and time is of the essence, being calm gives you the clarity of mind that you need. 

Additional Resource: Conflict Resolution to Communication Resolution

Defend your herd

It was noted from the story that the elephants were communicating with one another. It’s done on a frequency far below our ability to hear, but they were likely communicating the entire time. It didn’t take long to reach a consensus, and then they sprang into action, forming the alert circle. It was interesting to note that alert circles are a perfectly normal behavior in elephants. 

A tip from the elephants: As a leader, you need to be situationally aware of what’s taking place around you. You need to lead with calm and confidence, and having one another’s backs is top priority. 

Who’s in your circle?

Additional Resource: Who Are You Cheering For?

©2025 Doug Dickerson

Getting Back Into The Swing of Things

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Quality is not an act, it is a habit. – Aristotle

Like a bear coming out of hibernation, spring has been full of physical challenges. I have been challenged on two fronts, so I thought I’d share with you what’s going on and the leadership lessons I am learning.

Not long ago, I dusted off my golf bag and headed to a local golf course and their driving range. As a lifelong golf fan, I’ve wanted to return to the links and enjoy the game I had grown so fond of over the years. Not wanting to embarrass myself before playing again, I took the clubs to the range to see if any form was still left. Thankfully, I did not have my expectations set too high. I had stayed away from the game for too long. It showed, and it was humbling.

The second challenge comes courtesy of my daughter: She challenged me to join her on a new regimen on an app called 75 Hard. Those familiar with the app probably smile because you know what it’s all about. The daily regimen with 75 Hard includes one 45-minute workout and one 45-minute outdoor workout, taking a progress picture every day, reading 10 pages, drinking one gallon of water, following a diet, and not cheating on meals or alcohol.

So far, I am sticking to it. There are days when it’s hard, and it takes some grit and determination to check the boxes daily, because if you don’t, you start back at day one and begin all over again.

Getting back into the swing of things with these physical challenges has been a challenge that I welcome. While I’m not the spring chicken anymore, staying active has always been a lifestyle. But getting back into the routine can be hard once you get out of it. 

John Maxwell says, “You’ll never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.” Not only is he right in his observation, but it is simply a prescription for your desired accomplishments.

I don’t want to oversimplify what it means to get back into the swing of things and establish a daily regimen that works well for you. But in many respects, change begins with the basics you build upon. Here are a couple of observations from Maxwell’s quote to work with.

Change something

Your life will never change until you change something daily. With that being said, inventory the things in your life that are working, what you can improve, and what you need to discard. This is an essential first step toward making the changes that will benefit you the most.

When my daughter challenged me to join her on 75 Hard, it was not a hard decision. In terms of physical activity, I was not in a good place. I was sitting too much, not walking enough, and her challenge was the spark I needed.

In The 5 AM Club, Robin S. Sharma writes, “ The smallest of implementations is always worth more than the grandest of intentions.” And this is what you have to implement – small changes daily that will help improve your leadership. Have you identified what they are? Do you know what your next steps are? Are you ready to change something today? 

Additional Resource: Check These Boxes For Effective Change

Your daily routine

I have always been an early riser. My daily routine begins at 5 a.m. It starts with reading and meditation, followed by exercise, and the beginning of my daily water intake. This routine helps me be more focused and begin my day more clearly.

Your daily routine is critical to your success. As a leader, you can’t leave it to chance and good intentions. Your daily routine matters because if you don’t own the day, the day will own you. Click To Tweet

Gretchen Rubin said, “What I do everyday matters more than what I do once in a while.” How are your daily routines serving you?

In closing, reflect on what changes you must make, what daily routines you must establish, who can hold you accountable, and when you plan to start. Good intentions are not enough.

Additional Resource: The Priority of Time

 

©2025 Doug Dickerson

Why Composure Matters in Leadership

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Always keep your composure. You can’t score from the penalty box, and to win, you have to score. – Horace

I read a story about actress Carol Burnett some time ago. One day, she was getting out of a cab, and her coat was caught in the door. The driver was unaware of her plight and slowly began to merge into traffic. The actress had to run alongside down the block to keep from being pulled off her feet. 

A passerby noticed her predicament and quickly alerted the driver. He stopped, jumped out, and released Burnett’s coat. “Are you all right?” he asked anxiously. “Yes,” she gasped, but how much more do I owe you?”

Given our current circumstances, I can’t help but appreciate Burnett’s reaction. Given today’s litigation culture, it could have ended differently for the cab driver with a different passenger. How you and I keep our composure in the face of challenging times is a matter of good leadership. 

In a survey by Harvard Business Review, 85% of executives believe that composure is crucial for effective leadership during a crisis. This is important to you as a leader, whether in a crisis or not. 

Composure impacts decision-making, how your team functions under pressure, and how you lead your team through times of transition. But more importantly, it matters in your day-to-day leadership and the example you set. When your team members see that you can consistently respond no matter the situation, you are modeling leadership at a higher level.

How much thought have you given to composure as a vital part of your leadership DNA? What leaders have you been directly associated with who modeled composure well? How about those who were poor examples of leaders without it?

Every leader you have been around has modeled composure in some way, and you have learned from it. How are you modeling it yourself? What are the challenges? What are your struggles? Let’s explore a few ideas about keeping our composure as leaders.

Composure for the sake of your leadership

Before you can be a leader with composure for your team, you must be a leader of composure for yourself. It’s been noted repeatedly that the hardest person you will ever lead is yourself. Without discipline and maturity that drives composure, this area of your leadership will be a struggle.

For reflection: Do you know your strengths and weaknesses under pressure? Do you know your tipping points that put it all in jeopardy? Do you know how to manage your emotions under pressure best? Are you a reliable source of emotional stability for your team in times of crisis? Can your team members look to you with confidence that you are up for the challenge? You must come to grips with these types of questions as a leader to effectively lead others around you.

Additional Resource: How Leaders Keep Calm in a Crisis

Composure for the sake of morale

The late football coaching legend Tom Landry said, “Leadership is a matter of having people look at you and gain confidence, seeing how you react. If you’re in control, they’re in control.” And this is why composure matters in leadership.

It’s one thing for the leader to have composure, but modeling it instills confidence in the people around you. When you exemplify composure, you are acting as a thermostat for those around you – your level of composure will elevate those around you.

For reflection: Is your level of composure helping or hurting the morale of your team? Do those around you see a confident and composed leader in you? In what ways will your team benefit from a renewed sense of composure and confidence office-wide? 

Additional Resource: How Indecisive Leaders Hurt Morale

Composure for the sake of growth

You can weather any challenge as a leader with composure and a team with composure. Healthy leaders producing healthy teams and organizations lead to more substantial confidence and purpose in the future. Composure is essential to it all.

For reflection: In what ways are you developing composure as an essential leadership skill not only for yourself, but for the rest of your team? Do your team members understand the need to create this skill? How will your organization benefit from it?

For reflection: In what ways are you developing composure as an essential leadership skill not only for yourself, but for the rest of your team? Do your team members understand the need to create this skill? How will your organization benefit from it? 

Additional Resource: High Stakes Growth

 

©2025 Doug Dickerson

 

An Obstacle or Opportunity?

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If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn’t lead anywhere. – Frank A. Clark

A story tells of an ancient time when a king placed a boulder on a roadway as a test. After placing the boulder in the road, he hid and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. 

Some of the king’s wealthiest merchants and couriers came by and simply walked around it. Many blamed the king for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the boulder out of the way.

Then, a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. On approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. As the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where he had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the king indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many never understood. Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve one’s condition.

What do you do with the boulders and challenges you find on your road? How do you handle adversity? What are the consequences of your decisions? Let’s look at some examples from the story.

You can ignore them.

Some of the king’s wealthiest merchants and couriers first approached the boulder in the road. Being people of wealth and means, you would think that if they couldn’t move the boulder themselves, at the least, they could pay someone to do it for them. Wrong.

The first group left the boulder right where it was, a convenient representation of their desire not to get involved or be bothered.  Many complained and blamed the king for the poor road conditions.

From a leadership perspective, this was a terrible move, not just because they could have done something about it but also because they passed the burden of the boulder on to the next set of travelers to fix. The wealthy merchants represent self-absorbed leaders who only think of themselves. And now, because of their actions, they leave the problem to someone else.

Leaders, remember that your actions today bear consequences for others tomorrow. You can leave a clear path for others or leave obstacles you find for others to deal with later.

Leadership Insight: Small obstacles you ignore today can become boulders tomorrow. Clear the path not only for yourself but for those who follow you.

Additional Resource: Embracing The Hard Things in Leadership

You can do the heavy lifting and reap the reward.

The peasant comes down the road and finds the same boulder blocking his path. Unable to remove it himself, he recruits some help, and together, they move it.

The peasant in the story represents a servant leadership mindset. He knows that it is in his best interest to move the boulder for his own passage and for those coming behind him. 

In his book, High Road Leadership, John Maxwell writes, “When you do what’s right, you’re not only taking the high road with others. You are taking the high road with yourself.” And this is precisely what the peasant and his helpers did. They took the high road by clearing the road for others to travel.

The happy ending to the story is that the king left a note and a purse filled with gold coins – the reward for the person who moved the boulder from the road. 

While the servant leadership mindset is not about what you get in return for your actions, it demonstrates that good things come to those who put others first. When you take the high road, you make the road better for everyone. Click To Tweet

Leadership Insight: As a leader, be willing to do the heavy lifting – not for the sake of the reward, but because of the joy found in serving others.

On your leadership journey, you will encounter boulders. How you see them—as obstacles or opportunities—will make all the difference.

Additional Resource: The Power of Resistance in Leadership

 

©2025 Doug Dickerson

Are You The Answer Man or the Leader?

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The wise man doesn’t give the right answers; he poses the right questions. – Claude-Levi Strauss

I have always been a trivia fan. This would include board games and shows like Jeopardy. I got hooked when Trivial Pursuit came out in the early 1980s and have enjoyed all trivia-related games since.

Speaking of trivia, the following have been identified as among some of the hardest trivial pursuit questions:

  • Who was the official hair consultant to the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics?
  • What is the scientific name for a rabbit’s tail?
  • How many rings make up one arm of the Michelin man?
  • What was the name of the Douglas family dog on My Three Sons?
  • What was broken in Oxford, England, on May 6, 1954?
  • What eye-catching device was invented in the 17th century by Anton van Leeuwenhoek?
  • (Answers: Vidal Sassoon, Scut, Four, Tramp, The 4-minute mile, The microscope)

Having fun with trivia is great for family game nights and other occasions. But how does that play out in your day-to-day leadership? While being knowledgeable as a leader is imperative, when does it become a liability for your team instead of an advantage?

John Maxwell said, “The smartest person in the room is never as smart as all the people in the room.” In fact, on another occasion, Maxwell said, “If you’re the smartest person in the room, then you’re in the wrong room.” 

As leaders, how do we embrace the tension between what we know, the experiences we have gained, and the wisdom we can share without coming across as the proverbial “answer man” to everyone around us?

Marcus Kreth, the CEO of Asia Media Publishing Group, wrote an article titled “Why Leadership Isn’t About Knowing All The Answers—But Asking The Right Questions.” 

In it, Kreth writes, “As a leader, is my role to know the ins and outs of every single department? Should I be the one who excels at every technical skill? Or is my role to guide, set direction, to ask the right questions, and bring the right people together to execute the vision? That’s the moment I realized something fundamental about leadership: It’s not about being the best at everything. It’s about creating an environment where everyone can be their best”. 

Kreth’s first main point states, “Great Leaders Don’t Have All the Answers”. 

Over the decades in leadership, I have come to know and understand the weight and burden of providing answers. Early in my career, I felt a particular obligation to be ready with an answer. I figured that at best, it might be something solid and helpful, or at worst, I could wing it well enough that the other person wouldn’t notice. It could be exhausting.

Now, at this stage in my life, I fully embrace Kreth’s assertion that great leaders don’t have to have all the answers. It’s a refreshing posture in leadership. However, it does not absolve you from your leadership responsibility to constantly learn and improve. But now you are free from having to prove it. 

When thinking about whether you are the answer man or the leader, consider these thoughts.

Are you trying to impress people or make an impact?

John Maxwell said, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” Ultimately, people will be more impressed by how well you cared for them than by how much you tried to impress them with how much you know. Don’t be confused about this as a leader.

Additional Resource: Elevating Your Leadership Influence

Are you empowering your team or hindering it?

If you are the answer man and your people constantly come to you for all the answers, you are stalling your team’s flow and progress. As Kreth said, you want to guide, set direction, and ask the right questions to empower your team. The most liberating day in your leadership is the day you realize that you don’t have to know everything!

The writer of Ecclesiastes said there is a time to be silent and a time to speak. As a leader, you have to know the difference.

Additional Resource: Building a Culture of Empowerment

 

©2025 Doug Dickerson

What’s In a Name?

Credit: Google Images

I yam what I yam an’ that’s all that I yam! – Popeye

Setting out from Hamburg, Germany, one day to give a concert in London, violinist Fritz Kreisler had an hour before his boat sailed. He wandered into a music shop, where the proprietor asked if he could look at the violin Kreisler was carrying. He then vanished and returned with two policemen, one of whom told the violinist, “You are under arrest.”

“What for?” asked Kreisler. “You have Fritz Kreisler’s violin,” replied the officer. “I am Fritz Kreisler,” he responded.

“You can’t pull that on us. Come along to the station.” As Kreisler’s boat was sailing soon, there was no time for prolonged explanations. Kreisler asked for the violin and played a piece he was well known for. “Now, are you satisfied?” he asked. They were!

Kreisler’s detainment and subsequent release from the questioning authorities are reminders of the importance of knowing one’s name and what it is known for.

If I were to give you a list of names, you could immediately identify them by what made them famous. For example:

  • Henry Ford – Inventor of the Model T Ford
  • Thomas Edison – Inventor of the light bulb, among other things
  • Walt Disney – A pioneer of the animation industry 
  • Michael Jordan – Arguably by many the greatest NBA player of all time
  • Steve Jobs – The co-founder of Apple
  • Billy Graham – The greatest evangelist of the last century
  • Babe Ruth – One of the all-time greats in Major League Baseball

Many people are fascinated by learning more about their names and ancestry. I read that Ancestry.com had a revenue of $1 billion in 2022. That amount indicates that people long to learn more about their ancestral roots and seek a sense of belonging that connects them to their past. 

While my name and yours may not be synonymous with a great inventor or a star NBA player, our names represent a life that matters. As leaders, this is significant.

My name and yours may not command worldwide attention or recognition, but it’s a name entrusted to us to represent well.

Leadership takes many forms and has many definitions. Some leaders command the spotlight with grace and dignity, while others serve with equal honor in obscurity. 

Sadly, some abuse their place of leadership by mishandling their authority and using others to get ahead and make a name for themselves at the expense of those around them. 

As you read this, the challenge is to reflect on what your name as a leader means and what you want to be known for. Here is some food for thought.

Be known as a servant leader, not self-serving.

When you believe your leadership is about your title or position, a self-serving leadership posture will define you. Rule one in leadership is that it’s not about you. 

Additional Resource: Get Off Your High Horse

Be known for adding value, not subtracting.

As leaders, you and I have a choice every day to add value to those around us or to subtract. This is an amazing privilege. Leadership is not about what others can do for you, but is found in what you can do for them.

Additional Resource: The Value of Adding Value

Be known for listening more and talking less.

As a leader, you don’t always have to be the “answer man” to everyone around you. Your influence increases as you listen and seek to understand those around you. The old saying rings as true today as ever: God gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason. Use accordingly.

Additional Resource: Are You Listening?

Be known for building bridges, not tearing them down

As a leader, you can be a unifier in a world of discord. Be known for bringing people together when the culture wants to divide. Division is ruled by fear; unity is defined by those who seek understanding. Good things can happen when people come around the table with open hearts and minds. That begins with you.

Additional Resource: Building Bridges and Tearing Down Walls

Be known for your humility, not your arrogance.

Leadership is not about your “rights” or the weight you want to throw around. Leadership is a privilege, and serving others is your mission. Arrogant and haughty leaders may command a room, but they don’t lead the hearts of those in it. That comes from genuinely understanding your role as a leader. Click To Tweet

Additional Resource: Recovering Humility in Leadership

As you consider the above list of ways you want to be known as a leader, I trust you will build on and add to it. Make your name and your leadership count!

 

©2025 Doug Dickerson